An Origin Story
by KitsuneHitsugaya
Summary: This is a background story to the creation of a character. DISCLAIMER! I've yet to watch Once Upon a Time in Wonderland so bear with me...I had this idea when I saw the trailer for it so I'm just now publishing. NO SPOILER PLEASE.
1. Chapter 1

_CRASH_!

Yet another clay bowl smashed to the floor by a pair of shaky pale hands. No matter how hard she tried the hold onto the rough clay they slipped through her fingers and found their way onto the inn's floor.

"YOU STUPID GIRL! THAT IS THE SIXTH THIS MONTH!" barked the owner's wife and the chef of the inn.

"I-I'm sorry miss…" the young, dirty, thin, pale girl said.

The girl was about sixteen and thin as a wire, if she turned sideways she was gone, she was very pretty under all that matted hair and layers of dirt. The reason she was so thin and dirty was because she was not part of the owner's family and tended the animal in the back of the inn and family home.

"Sweep it up! I'll have to send an order in for another one, again." the wife said stirring a large pot and caused the girl to flich.

This was a normal day for the wire girl, she would break something or do something wrong in the eyes of her foster family and be sent outside to tend to the animals. Then the girl would come in, clean all the pots, pans and flatware. If there were any scraps she'd mix it for the pigs then curl up on a hay stack in the barn. At night she would find a star and wish with all her might to be taken away from this god awful place.

One night she saw a strange star in the sky, it was large and dark purple, it looks almost like an omen. She didn't care, it was large and could hold many wishes so she wished with all her might on this purple star.

'_Oh purple star, you look so large please, if you can, grant my wish. I want to leave this place, please, I don't care where I go. It just can't be here. Please purple star, please_.'

When the girl opened her eyes she could have sworn that the stars smiled at her, a large, twisted, and demented smile.

The next morning she was talking to the cats in the barn, this was a common occurrence as she thought of the cats as her only friends, when the inn owner came in.

He was plump man, all his family was plump, with sticky, sweaty palms. He had thin, brittle dark hair and a bushy mustache. His clothes were fresh and clean and his traveling cloak was on.

"We're leaving on a trip for supplies." he said as a matter of fact.

The girl stood and brushed off some dirt.

"You'll be watching the inn in my stead."

The girl blinked, her? Watch the inn? There were other employees. Older employees, more experienced...why her?

"You'll be getting a bath, I don't trust any of those cut throats to watch my inn." he said rubbing his hands; something he did when he was nervous.

The girl wanted to roll her eyes, and a skinny, dirty sixteen year old girl was going to stop them? But she said nothing.

She got a cold bath; got forbid the inn owners have cold water, and was scrubbed clean. Her dark hair was clean and pale skin looked like fresh snow. The inn owner's wife splashed the girl's cheeks with a bright red blush so the girl had color on her face. Then she put the girl in an old tunic that belong to the inn owner's son when he was younger and the tunic was still too large so a large cut of rope and tied tightly around the girl's waste. Then, as a sign of wealth, they put a pair of glasses on the girl's face

"There, now you're ready."

Then as if they were in some hurry they left the girl and rode away quickly into the morning light.

She sighed and slid on a fresh apron, oh well, at least she could eat freely tonight. As she informed the employees of the change they just shrugged it off and she just stood at the front counter.

It was an overall slow day and the girl was hoping that she could let everyone go home early and she could make herself a feast. But, her luck just wasn't that good.

The door flew open and crashed into the wall with a resounding BANG!

The girl jumped, causing the glasses on her nose to dip down and nearly fall off. She quickly pushed them back onto her face and looked up to see the Dark One looking down at her, his shiny skin and white teeth glinting maliciously in the dim light.

"Hello deary." he smiled.


	2. Chapter 2

"Um, ah, um, h-hello Mr. um, Dark One...sir." the girl stumbled over her words, "C-Can I help you?"

"I am ah looking for your parents deary." Rumplestiltskin said with a flourish of his wrists.

The girl looked down, causing the ill fitting glasses to slid a little, "You'd know them more that I would." she mumbled.

"Come again deary? I can't hear you a mumbling." He said and put a hand to his ear.

The girl looked up, "Um, the inn owners left early this morning. They um, I think said they needed supplies."

Rumplestiltskin frowned, "Left did they?"

The girl shivered, it wasn't a good idea to upset the Dark One and she had gone and done just that and on her first day as innkeeper.

Rumple shook his head, "Well, that's no matter. Where is my payment?"

Payment? ….payment….the owners never said anything about a payment. Was this a riddle?

"I am not a patient man deary." he said breaking the girl from her thoughts.

"Ah! Um, yes of course, let me um….just go and get it." she said and dashed into the kitchen.

She rammed into the sous chef.

"Hey girl watch where you're going!" he examined balancing a tray above his head.

"Oh, please, you have to help me. The Dark One is out there looking for payment from the owners. I don't know what to him."

The kitchen staff looked around, very uneasy with each other. A kindly woman from the pastry counter and wiped the girl's cheek with a flour dusted cloth.

"There there now child, don't worry yourself none." the woman said, "Just go back out there and ask him for a reminder of what he wanted." she said and scooted the girl back out the door.

The girl took a big breath and strolled right back up to the Dark One, "Pardon me sir." she said calmly, "What was it you needed?"

Rumple smiled which caused all of the girl's fake confidence to shatter, "My ah payment. Deary."

The girl gulped, "And...um...that was?"

"Big as a biscuit, deep as a cup, even a river can't fill it up." he said simply.

The girl blinked. That was definitely a riddle. Why would he give her a riddle? Then again, why did the Dark One do anything?, "A strainer?" she said, confused as to why he would need one and one from here.

Rumple blinked, no one every solved riddles that fast with him around, he narrowed his eyes, "A skin have I, more eyes than one. I can be very nice when I am done."

The girl thought a moment, "And a potato?"

This was impressive, "How much dirt is in a hole 4 feet deep and 2 feet wide? " he asked quickly.

The girl blinked in confusion," There isn't any dirt in a hole." she said as if it were obvious. The last person Rumple had given that riddle to broke down and cried, pleading for his life to be spared.

"Very impressive deary, I shall tell you what I came for now. A father's child, a mother's child, yet no one's son."

The girl thought a moment...but the inn owners didn't have…."A daughter?"

"Why you are a smart little lass deary!"

"But, the inn owner's don't have a daughter." The girl said.

"Then what does that make you?" Rumple asked point at the girl.

"Their burden…" the girl said adjusting her glasses.

Rumple stood for a moment, a little shocked but that wouldn't put a dent in his dark armor.

"Well, if I can't have their daughter, I'll just take, you."

So thats how it happened...thats how a scrubbed too clean young woman was following the Dark One down a heavily wooded path out of town.

"So deary I never did get your name." Rumple said looking over his shoulder at the girl with her heavy pack on her back.

"I-It Chess sir. Chess Cat."


End file.
